hardie



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT HARDIE, OF ROME, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE GENERAL GOM- PRESSED AIR COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

TRAMWAY-LOCOMOTIVE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 562,604, dated June 23, 1896.

Application filed June 25, 1895.

To wllvwhom it may concern;

Be it known that I, ROBERT HARDIE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rome, in the county of Oneida and State of New 5 York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tramway-Locomotives and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description-of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object to provide an improved tramway-locomotive.

To this end the invention consists of the novel features of construction hereinafter de scribed, and defined in the claims.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention, wherein, like letters referring to like parts- Figure-1 is a plan view of my locomotive or motor truck with some parts removed and others broken away. Fig. 2 is a cross-section on the line a: of Figs. 1 and 3, looking from the left toward the right; and Fig. 3 is aleft side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1.

a ct represent, respectively, the axles and wheels of a pair of trucks, on. which is mounted the truck-frame b b 19 h of which frame parts 11 arethe lower side bars, b the upper side bars, 12 uprights connecting the said side bars, and b are cross-bars shown as connecting the lower side bars I). The upper and lower side bars Z) Z) converge outward of the pedestals and unite with each other. The side frames are also otherwise braced and trussed in any suitable way to give to the frame the necessary rigidity.

It has not been deemed necessary to distinguish the details of the frame beyond the parts already noted. 7

The engine-cylinder castings chave formed integral therewith bed-blocks 0, so as to make the castings of a size to exactly fill the space between the upper and lower side bars of the frame; and the castings thus formed are bolted to the said side bars and serve to reinforce and bind together the side bars at that point. The valve-chests 0 project inward toward the center of the truck, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The pistons c are connected to cross- 50 headsc which are mounted on the top bars I) of the truck-frame as guides. The said $erial No. 553,949. (No model.)

guide-bars Z) are provided with steel liners 0 which afford the bearing-surfaces for the cross-head. The cross-heads are shown as provided with gibs 0 serving the usual f unction. The cross-l1eads c are connected by inside links or rods 0 With inside pins 0 on rockers 0 which are journaled in long bearings c, fixed to the lower frame-bars b. The said rockers are provided with outside pins 0 which are connected by the main rods 0 to the outside rods 0 which are connected to crank-pins e on the truck-wheels a.

In respect to each other, the two engines connect with the truck-wheels or drivers at, on the opposite sides of the truck, on the. quarters.

From the foregoing statements, and an inspection of the drawings, it willbe seen that the engines are located between the two truckaxles, and inside the wheel-lines, and that the motion from the engines is transmitted to the truck-wheels or drivers, withoutthe use of a rotary crank-shaft. Otherwise stated, in this locomotive, I employ inside cylinders with outside connections to the truck-wheels or drivers, with the main rods receiving their motion from rockers and taking hold of the outside rods. The advantages of this arrangement for a tramway-locomotive are obvious.

The engines are located at points most advantageous for the distribution of the weight and for economy of space, while at the same time a relatively long stroke of the piston is available in proportion to the diameter of the truck-wheels or drivers. For example, with truck-wheels or drivers of twenty-six inches diameter, I employ engines having fourteeninch stroke of pistons. In virtue of this arrangement also the engines are entirely out of the way, and are made to form parts of the truck-frame. As the engines are inside the wheel-lines and near the level of the truckaxles, the weight is distributed in the manner most advantageous for the prevention of swaying motion. This location of the engines also enables the use of the top bars of the truck-frame as the guides for the cross-heads, and also affords a comparatively cheap and simple construction. The absence of a rotary crank-shaft extending entirely across the frame is also a material advantage, for the usage intended, on account of the clearance thus gained for the location of the air-reservoirs, water-heater, &c., (not herein shown,) which are intended to be carried also on this motor-truck, for supplying the engines with compressed air, heated and charged with moisture, as the motive fluid. This arrangement of the engines also enables the necessary valve motions to be obtainable from the ordinary Stephenson link-gear, (not shown,) from the rear truck-axle, without the use of intermediate rockers. For the purpose of this case, it has not been deemed necessary to show either the means for supplying the engines with motive fluid or the gear for operatin g the distribution-valves. It may be noted, however, that, for effecting the distribution of the fluid, I employ a main valve operated by the rod 0 and a cut-off valve riding on the back of the main valve and operated through the rod 0".

This locomotive or motor-truck was especially designed for street-railways wherein compressed air is employed as the motive fluid, and wherein a passenger-car body is carried on the motor-truck or locomotive.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is as follows:

1. The combination with front and rear truck-wheels, of an engine located between the truck-axles and inside the wheel-line, an outside rod connecting said wheels, a rocker receiving motion from the engine-piston and a main rod connecting said rocker to said outside rod, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination with front and rear truck-wheels, of an engine located between the truck-axles and inside the wheel-line, an outside rod connecting the truck-wheels, a cross-head mounted on a part of the truckframe as a guide, a rocker journaled on the truck-frame, an inside rod connecting said rocker with said cross-head, and a main rod connecting said rocker with the outside rod, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination with the front and rear truck wheels and axles, of the pair of engines between the truck-axles inside the wheel-lines with the cylinder-castings forming parts of the sides of the truck-frame, the cross-heads working on the top side bars of the frame as guides, the rockers 0 the inside rods 0 connecting said rockers with said cross-heads, the outside rods 0 connecting the truck-wheels and the main rods 0 connecting said rockers with said outside rods, all substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4. In a locomotive, the combination with the truck side frames formed with verticallyspaced longitudinal bars, of the pair of engines having their cylinders rigidly clamped between the upper and lower members of said side frames, whereby said side frames form supports for said cylinders and said cylinders, in turn, form reinforcing-braces for said frames, substantially as described.

5. In a locomotive, the combination with the truck side frames formed with a longitudinal cross-head guide, of the engine located between the truck-axles and inside of the wheel-lines, a cross-head mounted on the guide portion of said frame, a rocker journaled on the truck-frame, an inside rod connecting said rocker with said cross-head, and outside connections from said rocker to the drive-wheels, involving an outside main rod and an outside connecting-rod, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT I-IARDIE. WVitnesses:

F. H. OoHooN, J AS. I WILLiAMsoN. 

